| CNN is reporting that Mitt Romney is suspending his campaign.
Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney were campaigning as the alternative to John McCain, but unlike Huckabee, Romney's campaign never truly got the traction it needed to be competitive in the South or among the traditionally conservative Republican base.
Speculation had surround the "McCain/Huckabee" alliance that seemed to have been forged (especially after the West Virginia convention), and I would venture a guess that Huckabee will drop out soon too. Reason? After Super Tuesday's results, Huckabee is in a prime position to be selected as the Republican veep. No reason to destroy that chance by campaigning through March against the presumptive nominee.
Romney's exit does mean that there will be no Republican motivation to vote March 4th.
Good news for Democrats because it will free up some TV space for ads and allow us to identify more Democrats by keeping Republican's from mobilizing. It will also give Democrats a first run at GOTV on a large scale while keeping Republican's home.
The Republican Party has a nominee on the horizon, but Democrats are well positioned. Romney took some punches at McCain and gave evangelical talk show hosts like Rush Limbaugh a reason to say he would take Hillary over McCain. Democrats are well organized and building infrastructure for November while Republicans have to sit and wait before they can launch the noise machine. It is an interesting time to be a Texas Democrat. |
